Headline Archive

The 2008 Taxpayer Survey has been released. We would appreciate it if you would spend five to ten minutes to complete the survey before Friday, 15 August 2008.

Your feedback lets us know where we are hitting the mark and where we are getting it wrong and we encourage you to be honest and constructive in your responses. Results from the survey will be published on thsi sitesite and reported in the next edition of Perspectives.

Please do not feel that you need to wait until our Taxpayer Survey to provide comments. We want to hear from you if, for any reason, you are dissatisfied with any services we provide you. We also want to hear your ideas on how we can improve our services. Naturally we would also like you to let us know when our service exceeds your expectations! We need the range of feedback to continually improve our services and develop new standards within our capabilities.

3/7/2008...Information Sessions August 2008

Pay-roll Tax Session

This session will provide taxpayers with details of pay-roll harmonisation changes, effective from 1 July 2008.

Where:         Adelaide Pavilion
                  Cnr South Terrace & Peacock Road, Adelaide
When:          Wednesday, 6 August 2008
Time:           9:30 am – 11:30 am includes morning tea

This session will provide taxpayers with an overview of stamp duty and land tax, including information on First Home Bonus Grant and changes to transfers to beneficiaries (Community Titles), a review of the land tax anti-avoidance provisions and new initiatives introduced by RevenueSA to reduce red tape.

Where:         Adelaide Pavilion
                   Cnr South Terrace & Peacock Road, Adelaide
When:          Wednesday, 6 August 2008
Time:           4:00 pm – 5:30 pm with drinks and nibbles from 5:30 pm

To register your attendance, please contact Sue Salt or Kristy Ferguson by Wednesday, 30 July 2008. Contact details are:

E-mail:         RevenueSA@saugov.sa.gov.au 
Phone:         (08) 8226 3807 or (08) 8226 0193

If you have special needs (e.g. due to mobility, sight or hearing impairment), please let us know if we can make any arrangements that will make your attendance more comfortable.

3/7/2008...Pay-roll Tax Harmonisation

From 1 July 2008, a number of changes have been made to the South Australian Pay-roll Tax Act 1971 to harmonise key aspects of its pay-roll tax system with those of other jurisdictions.

The legislation will take effect from 1 July 2008. Accordingly you will need to ensure you understand the changes to the legislative requirements. Please note that these legislative changes do not impact the 2007/2008 annual reconciliation.

More information in respect to these changes can be found here.

19/6/2008...General Exemption 26

RevenueSA has issued a Circular to reflect recent advice provided to this Office regarding the interpretation of General Exemption 26. The Circular is available here.

5/6/2008...State Budget 2008-2009

As part of the State Budget, the Treasurer announced a First Home Bonus Grant (FHBG) of up to $4,000.
The FHBG is in addition to the $7,000 First Home Owner Grant and replaces the First Home Concession scheme for first home buyers who have entered into a first home contract on or after 5 June 2008 subject to applicants meeting the eligibility criteria for the FHOG.

Further details are available here and also on Circular 288. This Circular contains details of all taxation measures contained in the Budget.

21/4/2008...Taxpayer Information Session - Berri

As part of our Taxpayer Awareness Program, RevenueSA will be conducting an information session for taxpayers and their professional representatives, in the Riverland.

This information session will address topical matters in relation to stamp duty, land tax and pay-roll tax.  The session provides the opportunity to ask questions. Session details are as follows:

Where:                        Berri Resort Hotel, Riverview Drive BERRI  SA  5343
When:                         Wednesday, 28 May 2008
Time:                          9.30 am – 12.30 pm (morning tea will be provided)

The content of this session will be of particular interest to Legal, Conveyancing, Accounting and Payroll Professionals.

To register your attendance, please contact Sue Salt by Wednesday, 21 May 2008. Contact details are:

Phone:                        (08) 8226 3807
Email:                          cdu@saugov.sa.gov.au 

If you have special needs (e.g. due to mobility, sight or hearing impairment), please let us know if we can make any arrangements that will make your attendance more comfortable.

25/2/2008...Stamp Duty Document Guide Amendment - Section 67

The Stamp Duty Document Guide Note “Section 67 of the SD Act” has been amended to reflect recent advice provided to this Office regarding the interpretation of section 67(4) of the SD Act. 

16/1/2008...Information Sessions Feb 2008

RevenueSA will be conducting free information sessions in Adelaide for legal, accounting, conveyancing and pay-roll professionals during February.

This session will provide taxpayers with an overview of pay-roll tax, including information relating to liability, annual adjustments and the 2007-2008 harmonisation reforms.

Where:              Adelaide Pavilion
                        Cnr South Terrace & Peacock Road
                        Adelaide
When:               Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Time:                9:30 am – 11:30 am includes morning tea

This session will provide taxpayers with an overview of stamp duty and land tax, including information on Section 67 (stamp duty), a review of the land tax anti-avoidance provisions and new initiatives introduced by RevenueSA to reduce red tape.

Where:              Adelaide Pavilion
                        Cnr South Terrace & Peacock Road
                        Adelaide
When:               Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Time:                4:00 pm – 5:30 pm with drinks and nibbles from 5:30 pm

To register your attendance, please contact Sue Salt or Kristy Ferguson by Wednesday, 20 February 2008. Contact details are:

E-mail:                          CDU@saugov.sa.gov.au 
Phone:                         (08) 8226 3807 or (08) 8226 0193

If you have special needs (e.g. due to mobility, sight or hearing impairment), please let us know if we can make any arrangements that will make your attendance more comfortable.

25/10/2007...Information Sessions

RevenueSA will be conducting an information session for Legal, Accounting and Conveyancing Professionals during November in Mt Gambier.

This information session will address topical matters in relation to stamp duty, land tax and pay-roll tax. The sessions provides the opportunity to ask questions. Session details are as follows:

Morning tea will be provided for all participants at 11:15 am.

To register your attendance, please contact Sue Salt by 7 November 2007. Contact details are:

Phone:  (08) 8226 3807
E-mail:  CDU@saugov.sa.gov.au 

If you have special needs (eg. due to mobility, sight or hearing impairment), please let us know if we can make any arrangements that will make your attendance more comfortable.

6/9/2007...Mortgage Stamp Duty relief for drought affected farmers - RevNet

Three new stamp duty document types have been released on RevNet to allow for the determination and payment of stamp duty by way of ex gratia relief for farmers as part of the Government's drought assistance package:

Mortgage - Prime Mortgage - Drought - Land - DMP

Mortgage - Refinancing - Drought - Mortgage Drought - DMF

Mortgage - Increase - Mortgage Drought - DMI

Stamp Duty Document Guide Notes are available for the new document types. If you are involved with these transactions you should familiarise yourself with these. The Ex gratia Mortgage Stamp Duty Relief form has also been amended to align this with the guide notes and the RevNet screen designs.

10/8/2007...Results of Survey 2007

In May 2007, we conducted a survey to obtain feedback in the areas of customer service and information provided by RevenueSA. To view the results of the survey, click here.

9/8/2007...State Budget 2007-2008

The Statutes Amendment (Budget 2007) Act 2007 was assented to today, 9 August 2007. (Refer Circular 284)

20/6/2007...Stamp Duty - Mortgage Rate Reduction

In the 2005/2006 State Budget, the Government announced that the duty on the remaining categories of mortgages that are still liableto duty will be phased out (refer Circular 255).
The rate of duty on a dutiable mortgage stamped from 1 July 2007 will be reduced by one third to 30 cents per $100.
The rate of duty will further reduce to 15 cents per $100 from 1 July 2008, with stamp duty on mortgages being abolished from 1 July 2009.

15/6/2007...Penalty Tax and Interest in Regard to RevNet Documents

It is the policy of RevenueSA to apply penalty tax and interest to an assessment of stamp duty as a result of an audit review where applicable. The penalty tax and interest components are included in the Notice of Assessment. However, if the stamp duty is paid by the due date shown on the Notice of Assessment, the penalty tax and interest components may be remitted.

The above policy was implemented to allow RevNet participants to become familiar with the use of the RevNet system. This policy will now cease to apply from 1 July 2007 in respect of RevNet participants who were registered up to and including 31st December 2006. Penalty tax and interest will only be applied where errors are found on instruments that have been stamped on RevNet after 1st July 2007.

RevNet participants registered from 1st January 2007 will be provided with a six month amnesty from the date of creation of their first batch, with respect to the penalty tax and interest components where self-determination errors are found, to allow them to become familiar with the RevNet system.

No amnesty will will apply if the underpayment of stamp duty is as a result of a deliberate or careless action on the part of the taxpayer or RevNet participant. RevNet will apply penalty tax and interest automatically where late stamping has occurred. Penalty tax and interest will be calculated in line with Circular 261 released by RevenueSA on 2nd November 2005.

8/6/2007...State Budget 2007

The State Budget was handed down today (7 June 2007) and contained the following taxation measures which are contained in the Statutes Amendment (Budget 2007) Bill 2007:

A reduction in the pay-roll tax rate from 5.5% to 5.25% in relation to wages paid or payable on or after 1 July 2007.

A further reduction in the pay-roll tax rate from 5.25% to 5.0% in relation to wages paid or payable on or after 1 July 2008.

The introduction of anti-avoidance measures into the Land Tax Act 1936 (with effect from the 2008-2009 land tax assessment year) to address the practice where owners of more than one piece of land avoid paying higher marginal rates of land tax by structuring their ownerships so that another party or parties holds a small minority interest in an individual piece of land thereby creating different legal ownerships.

Further details are available in RevenueSA Circulars 278, 279 and 280.

1/6/2007...Stamp Duty Document Guide Notes

Amendments to Section 71CB and 71CBA of the Stamp Duties Act 1923 apply from 1 June 2007. The following Stamp Duty Documents Guide Notes have been amended:

Exemptions - Conveyance of Land - Pursuant to 71CB-EX
Exemptions - Transfer of Motor Vehicle- Pursuant to 71CB-EX
Exemptions - Conveyance of Land - Pursuant to 71CBA-EX
Exemptions - Conveyance of Other - Pursuant to 71CBA-EX
Exemptions - Family Law Instruments - Pursuant to 71CA/CBA-EX

The Section 71CB and Section 71CBA Statutory Declarations have also been amended.

18/5/2007...Seventh  Annual States' Taxation Conference

The Taxation Institute of Australia in conjunction with the State Revenue Offices present the Seventh Annual States' Taxation Conference. This national event will be held on Thursday 26th  -  Friday 27th July 2007 in Canberra. 
For further information and registration form please click here.

17/5/2007...Minor Taxes - Deeds - Updated Stamping Requirements

MINOR TAXES – DEEDS – STAMPING REQUIREMENTS

Deeds formerly chargeable with stamp duty of $10 have been exempt from duty as from 1 July 2006. 
On 26 June 2006, advice was issued on the RevenueSA website to clarify which Deeds were still required to be stamped as exempt in light of the removal of the $10 duty charge.
This matter has since been reviewed and the following arrangements now apply in relation to all such deeds, whenever executed.
Where a deed that is exempt from stamp duty is required to be relied upon as being “duly stamped” for other purposes under the Stamp Duties Act 1923 (“the Act”) (eg to obtain the benefit of the exemption provisions of section 71(5)(e) of the Act), the relevant deed may be stamped accordingly, however RevenueSA will not insist on an exempt document being stamped to be accepted as “duly stamped”.

REMINDER

Where property is transferred pursuant to a deed (stamped or unstamped), the deed must be submitted to this Office when the related conveyance is submitted for opinion.

If a taxpayer is in any doubt  as to whether a deed is exempt or whether it may constitute a dutiable conveyance, the instrument should be submitted for the opinion of the Commissioner of State Taxation.
Common examples of situations where deeds are mistakenly considered to be exempt when they may in fact be chargeable with duty under the Act include:

• A Deed of Family Arrangement dealing with a deceased estate.  NB: A transfer of property pursuant to a Deed of Family Arrangement must be submitted for the opinion of the Commissioner of State Taxation together with the Deed of Family Arrangement;
• A Deed of Dissolution of Partnership;
• A Deed of Variation of a Trust which adds new or potential corpus beneficiaries / objects to the Trust, and
• A Deed of Gift.

3/5/2007...RevenueSA Taxpayer Business Survey

To help us serve you better, we would appreciate you taking a few moments to give us your feedback by taking a short survey. (Survey closed 8/6/2007)

23/4/2007...Information Sessions

RevenueSA will be conducting three information sessions for Legal, Accounting and Conveyancing Professionals during May in Port Lincoln and Adelaide.

These information sessions will address topical matters in relation to stamp duty, land tax and/or pay-roll tax. Sessions range from 1½ to 2 hours in length and provide the opportunity to ask questions. Session details are as follows:

Port Lincoln Session - Stamp Duty, Land Tax & Pay-roll Tax

Adelaide Session - Pay-roll Tax

Adelaide Session - Stamp Duty & Land Tax

To register your attendance, please contact Kristy Ferguson by 8 May 2007 for the Port Lincoln session and 17 May 2007 for the Adelaide session. Contact details are:

Phone:  (08) 8226 0193
E-mail:  CDU@saugov.sa.gov.au 

If you have special needs (eg. due to mobility, sight or hearing impairment), please let us know if we can make any arrangements that will make your attendance more comfortable.

6/3/2007...RevNet Pay-roll Tax Annual Reconciliation Feedback

As part of the 2005/06 Pay-roll Tax Annual Reconciliation, users were invited to give feedback on the annual reconciliation process in RevNet. Feedback was in the form of general comments, rather than responses to specific questions.

A total of 404 comments were received. 75% of responses were complimentary and generally included comments about simplicity, ease of use and only requiring a short time to complete. Positive comments were also made about the RevenueSA RevNet system and process in comparison to that of other States and Territories.

Suggested areas for improvement include the provision of EFT payments and the ability to print the information before submitting so that all data can be manually checked to ensure accuracy. Both these suggestions are being further considered in conjunction with Government red tape reduction initiatives.

10/1/2007...Stamp Duty Document Guide Notes

The Stamp Duty Document Guide Notes listed below relating to certain transfers of property pursuant to section 71CA and section 71CBA, have been amended:

Exemptions - Conveyance of Land - Pursuant to 71CA
Exemptions - Conveyance of Other - Pursuant to 71CA
Exemptions - Conveyance of Land - Pursuant to 71CBA
Exemptions - Conveyance of Other - Pursuant to 71CBA

23/11/2006...Stamp Duties - Land Rich Entities

The Stamp Duties (Land Rich Entities) Amendment Act 2006 was assented to on 23/11/2006. Further details in Circular No 273 and 272.

16/10/2006...Information Sessions

RevenueSA will be conducting two information sessions for Legal, Accounting and Conveyancing Professionals during November in Port Augusta and Adelaide.

These information sessions will address topical matters in relation to stamp duty, land tax and pay-roll tax and will be approximately 1.5 hours in length, with an opportunity to ask questions. Session details are as follows:

Port Augusta Session:

Adelaide Session:

To register your attendance, please contact Kristy Ferguson by 10 November 2006 for the Port Augusta session, and 17 November 2006 for the Adelaide session. Contact details are:

Phone:                        (08) 8226 0193
E-mail:                        CDU@saugov.sa.gov.au 

If you have special needs (eg due to mobility, sight or hearing impairment), please let us know if we can make any arrangements that will make your attendance more comfortable.

Future sessions are planned for Port Lincoln and Adelaide for the first half of 2007.

3/10/2006...Stamp Duty Document Guide Notes

The following Stamp Duty Document Guide notes relating to family farm transactions have been amended:

Exemptions - Family Farm - Pursuant to Section 71CC
Exemptions - Family Farm - Stock/Implements/Chattels (Sec 71CC)

21/9/2006...State Budget 2006-2007

The State Budget was handed down today (21 September 2006).

No rate changes have been announced.

Increased resources have been allocated towards ensuring compliance with State Taxation legislation.

Additionally, the Stamp Duties Act land rich provisions are being amended. See further details in Circular 272.

2006 Survey Results

In March 2006, RevenueSA conducted a taxpayer survey covering the areas of customer service, the RevenueSA website and the RevNet Pay-roll Tax Payment Facility. During the 5 week survey period we received a total of 867 responses. Overall the results of the survey are very positive and we thank all those who participated in taking the time to provide us with feedback.

26/06/2006...Minor Taxes - Deeds - Stamping Requirements

Deeds chargeable with stamp duty of $10 will be exempt from 1 July 2006.  Clarification of the stamping requirements of Deeds from 1 July 2006 is available here.

13/4/2006...Pay-roll Tax Guide to Legislation

The new Pay-roll Tax Guide to Legislation has now been released. The guide is available here.

As part of our Taxpayer Awareness Program, RevenueSA is conducting information sessions for taxpayers and their professional representatives. The session will address topical matters relating to Stamp Duty, Land Tax and Pay-roll Tax.

The next country session will be held in Berri and will be approximately 1.5 to 2 hours in length with an opportunity to ask questions. Details are:

VENUE: Riverview Lounge, Berri Resort Hotel, Riverview Drive, Berri
DATE:   Wednesday 12 April 2006
TIME:   9:30 am

The content of these sessions will be of particular interest to the Legal, Conveyancing, Accounting and Payroll professionals.

Numbers will be limited because of venue size so early registration is recommended.
To register your attendance, please contact Kristy Ferguson by 5 April 2006 on (08) 8226 0193 or email: CDU@saugov.sa.gov.au

A new Mortgage Refinancing Exemption form is now available for financial institutions to use for refinancing transactions. This form replaces the Application for Refinancing Exemption form and should be used as from the date of this notice.

The new Mortgage Refinancing Exemption form has two changes:

• the “Declaration” mortgagor signature panel has been deleted.  Only the lender needs to sign the form, and;
• the “Date of Mortgage” field has been deleted.

The Stamp Duty Document Guide has also been amended.  It is no longer a requirement that a copy of the discharged mortgage be retained by the refinancing financial institution.

Financial institutions involved with refinance transactions are encouraged to process these transactions on RevNet.

20/1/2006 …Car Registration Stamp Duty Relief for People with Disabilities

The Government announced on 19 January 2006 that not for profit groups will be exempt from stamp duty on vehicles which are used primarily for the transport of people with disabilities. This exemption will be administered as part of the normal registration process through the Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure Customer Service Centres and through Service SA Customer Service Centres.  More information is available on Circular 263.

A lodgement box has been installed in the Mail Box Delivery room at the Lands Titles Office. This box can be used for the lodgement of:

• stamp duty opinion bundles
• responses to stamp duty requisitions
• Refund applications
• ESL and Land Tax payments
• any other RevenueSA matter

The RevenueSA Lodgement Box is provided for your convenience and will be cleared twice each work day around midday and at 4.00 pm.

8/12/2005...New application form for Refinancing Exemption

The Application for Refinancing Exemption form has been amended to delete the requirement by the mortgagor/s to sign this form before an authorised person for taking declarations. The form can be downloaded here.

This page was last reviewed 18 July, 2008